Lower Gwynedd approves Lower Pike Overlay District

LOWER GWYNEDD — Businesses may find it easier to develop along Bethlehem Pike in Lower Gwynedd Township after the passage of a new zoning ordinance.

The Lower Gwynedd Township Board of Supervisors passed a Lower Pike Overlay District ordinance that updates the zoning requirements along a section of Bethlehem Pike at the Jan. 22 meeting that will make it easier for businesses to put down stakes.

Township Zoning Officer Joseph Zadlo said the township for some time has been trying to adjust the zoning requirements on Bethlehem Pike to make it more favorable for development. Originally an ordinance was drafted for the entire pike, which turned out to be “too aggressive,” he said. Zadlo said it was Township Manager Larry Comunale who then suggested taking a smaller section of the pike, narrow the focus and relax restrictions on that portion of the pike.

It was agreed upon to focus their efforts on the section from the creek that crosses Bethlehem Pike down to Dager Road, without including the residential style properties on the east side of the road, he said. The ordinance, he said, expands the permitted uses, removes a number of dimensional constraints, gives developers “a great deal more latitude and freedom” to come up with a plan that complies with the ordinance without having to go before the zoning hearing board and will increase the attractiveness of those properties.

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Zadlo said the original scrapped ordinance featured a section that would have allowed for a convenience store/gas station, based on the Wawa model. That was taken out because of concerns over traffic and the effect it would have on the neighborhood.

Solicitor James Garrity said since the ordinance was for an overlay district, all of the underlying uses are still permitted on all of the properties.

He also said impervious coverage under the new overlay district was increased by 75 percent from the underlying district.

“The biggest requirement for this ordinance is lot size,” he said. “What the township is hoping for is that some of these little tiny lots along the pike will be combined at some point to give us a more financially viable use for the future.”

He said the issue of storm-water management will still be governed by the township’s subdivision and land development ordinance. The requirements of that ordinance with how to handle the water will still apply.

Supervisor Ed Brandt said he was pleased to see the section regarding the convenience store/gas station removed from the updated ordinance.

Chairwoman Kathleen Hunsicker said she was particularly pleased with the passage of the ordinance “because, as we all know, zoning is crucial in our ability to attract economic activity.”

She said the amendment and overlay district addresses that issue and gives developers more flexibility in getting their projects off the ground, and it encourages redevelopment along the Bethlehem Pike corridor as part of the “I Like the Pike” marketing initiative.